Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2024 Sep 3;16(9):a041355.
doi: 10.1101/cshperspect.a041355.

The Astrocyte: Metabolic Hub of the Brain

L Felipe Barros  1   2 , Stefanie Schirmeier  3 , Bruno Weber  4
Affiliations
Review

The Astrocyte: Metabolic Hub of the Brain

L Felipe Barros et al. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol. .

Abstract

Astrocytic metabolism has taken center stage. Interposed between the neuron and the vasculature, astrocytes exert control over the fluxes of energy and building blocks required for neuronal activity and plasticity. They are also key to local detoxification and waste recycling. Whereas neurons are metabolically rigid, astrocytes can switch between different metabolic profiles according to local demand and the nutritional state of the organism. Their metabolic state even seems to be instructive for peripheral nutrient mobilization and has been implicated in information processing and behavior. Here, we summarize recent progress in our understanding of astrocytic metabolism and its effects on metabolic homeostasis and cognition.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Almeida A, Almeida J, Bolaños JP, Moncada S. 2001. Different responses of astrocytes and neurons to nitric oxide: the role of glycolytically generated ATP in astrocyte protection. Proc Natl Acad Sci 98: 15294–15299. 10.1073/pnas.261560998 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Almeida A, Moncada S, Bolaños JP. 2004. Nitric oxide switches on glycolysis through the AMP protein kinase and 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase pathway. Nat Cell Biol 6: 45–51. 10.1038/ncb1080 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Araque A, Parpura V, Sanzgiri RP, Haydon PG. 1999. Tripartite synapses: glia, the unacknowledged partner. Trends Neurosci 22: 208–215. 10.1016/S0166-2236(98)01349-6 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Araque A, Carmignoto G, Haydon PG, Oliet SHR, Robitaille R, Volterra A. 2014. Gliotransmitters travel in time and space. Neuron 81: 728–739. 10.1016/j.neuron.2014.02.007 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Arizono M, Inavalli V, Panatier A, Pfeiffer T, Angibaud J, Levet F, Ter Veer MJT, Stobart J, Bellocchio L, Mikoshiba K, et al. 2020. Structural basis of astrocytic Ca2+ signals at tripartite synapses. Nat Commun 11: 1906. 10.1038/s41467-020-15648-4 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources